


Summer is here, why aren’t you?

by springbreezies



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: I changed the title and the summary because they didn’t fit, In this fic i refer to him as moomintroll, M/M, Snufkin doesn’t return in the spring, The gang goes on an adventure, i’ve never written a fanfiction in my life before so this will have to do, moomintroll and snorkmaiden broke up, moomintroll is unknowingly pining for his best friend, oh dear god help me i thought of this at 2am, uhhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-25 08:59:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19742413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springbreezies/pseuds/springbreezies
Summary: Moomintroll wakes up at the start of every spring, waiting for his beloved Snufkin to arrive. But what happens when Snufkin doesn’t arrive for the spring?





	1. Spring has arrived in Moominvalley

Moomintroll woke up. Immediately his eyes sprang open, as he felt the comforting spring sunlight phase through the window. 

Immediately a thought raced through his head, and excitement filled every little nook and cranny of his body.  _Snufkin! Snufkin would finally come back!_ His best friend in the whole wide world, _the one and only Snufkin!_ Of course there were his other friends, like Little My, Sniff and to an extent, Snorkmaiden. He still clearly remembered the breakup between him and Snorkmaiden; the last he had seen of her before the long winter was of her running off, tears streaming down her beautiful face, saying things like how their relationship should never had been. He hoped they were on good terms now that the winter was over.

But oh, it was the first day of spring! It was a new year, and Moomintroll didn’t want to hang on to the past. That would be rather petty of him, and his mother had always told him that being petty was not a thing a moomin would want to be. All he could do now was to hope for the best. He leapt out of bed and rushed down the stairs. On the way down, he passed his father, Moominpappa. “My, my, what are you in such a big rush for, son?”

Unfortunately for Moominpappa, Moomintroll was in such a big rush that he barely heard him. He rushed out of the door, through the verandah, past the field over to the bridge, and there he waited, sitting on the wooden ledge, as he did every year on the first day of spring.

A couple of hours passed, and Snufkin did not show up. Moomintroll didn’t think much of it, as sometimes Snufkin only returned to the valley in the late afternoon, or even the next day. However, he was still hopeful, and continued waiting on the ledge for his dear friend.

Eventually, he decided to go back to the house for a little bit, as he felt rather hungry, having not eaten anything since his long winter sleep. Fortunately for him, his mother was laying out plates on the table, with Moominpappa, Little My and Sniff sat down in their respective seats. Moomintroll sat down on his chair at the table and waited for food to be served.

“How was your sleep, everyone?” Asked Moominmamma after a long pause.

“The usual. Yours?” Replied Moominpappa.

Sniff was the next to speak. “I dreamt I was in a big cave with loads and loads of gold and gems and riches of all sorts! I wish you could have been there...”

As Sniff dragged on in an excited tone about his dream, Moomintroll couldn’t help but stare in the direction of the bridge. He imagined all of the things he and Snufkin would do once he returned to the valley. Snufkin would tell his stories while Moomintroll would listen carefully, soaking up every little detail. He would listen to the lovely songs Snufkin would play on his harmonica, which he would play long into the hours of the night. They would go on long walks through the forest together, chatting and laughing all of the way along. They would take naps under the trees in the summer, sheltered from the merciless sun. They would perhaps go for a swim in the river, although he knew Snufkin wasn’t particularly fond of swimming. They could go explore the mountains or the forest, anything would do for Moomintroll, as long as his dearest friend Snufkin came back soon.

His thoughts were interrupted by his mother asking him if everything was okay. He suddenly remembered about his food and scarfed it down quickly, realising how cold his food had gotten in the process.

“Gross, Moomintroll’s daydreaming again!” Retorted Little My, who had surprisingly stayed relatively silent up to this point.

“I wasn’t daydreaming! Since when have I been daydreaming?” Moomintroll snapped in defence.

“Since ten minutes ago, that’s how long. Who is it this time, Moomintroll?”

Moomintroll sighed and replied, “Well, if you must know, I was thinking about what me and Snufkin could do once he came back. None of your business, if you ask me.” This caused Little My to giggle, only to be abruptly interrupted by Sniff.

“Say, where’s Snorkmaiden? I haven’t seen her all day! I do hope she’s all right!”

At this point Moomintroll decided that he had had enough of this conversation. He stood up from his chair and said in the most polite tone he could muster, “Pardon me,but I have some waiting to do.” He started to walk away from the table towards the bridge, slowly gaining speed until he found himself running as fast as he possibly could. He launched himself into his spot on the ledge and once again started waiting.

Moomintroll had gotten used to waiting for long periods of time; all he had to do was to focus on a specific place, like a little piece of the river or a single pine tree on the other side of the bridge, and all that happened next was that Moomintroll observed that space. All of the little movements mattered and made a difference, even the smallest ripples in the water or the slightest wave of a leaf. By doing this, he was able to wait until the sun set, and even when it did, Moomintroll made no movement. He just observed what he could see, and soon he fell fast asleep on the bridge.


	2. Strolling in the Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moomintroll takes a stroll in the forest.

When Moomintroll woke up again, the sun had started to rise again. He quickly came to the realisation that someone had put a blanket on him, most likely his mother. He sat up slowly and looked around, being careful not to fall off the ledge in the process. Same old bridge, nothing new. There was one thing, however. Snufkin still hadn’t arrived. He stretched out his short limbs and jumped off the ledge, being careful not to accidentally drop the blanket into the river below.  _Snufkin wouldn’t mind if I went off on a walk for a bit, would he?_ Thought Moomintroll, slowly walking towards the forest beyond the bridge.

As he walked aimlessly around the forest he started to think of the events that happened the day before. _Why had he lingered on the thought of Snufkin for so long?_ It wasn’t like him to just brush off something like that. He wasn’t completely sure as to why Little My had laughed at him either. Surely he was just thinking of the times they would spend together before the winter?  _There was nothing to laugh about with that, right...?_

Overwhelmed by his thoughts, Moomintroll decided to sit down underneath a tree. He soon realised that Snufkin had taken him where he was during the summer of the year before. It was a thin, long tree, with white bark mottled with dark spots. A silver birch, as Snufkin had called it. Thin branches spread out far above where he could reach, each one with a few dark green leaves, which were only just growing back after the long, harsh winter. He remembered Snufkin telling him something about the pollen of the tree, and although he couldn’t fully remember what Snufkin had said, he was sure it wasn’t good. He stood up from where he had sat down, and walked away from the tree. His mother had time and time again told him to be careful with flower pollen, as his family had had a bad history with pollen allergies. He continued walking off deeper into the forest until he saw a sight that instantly made regret and guilt fill his mind.  _ The Snork family house . _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short, the Snorks will be in the next chapter this is going to be good


	3. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moomintroll and the Snork have a conversation.

From where he was, Moomintroll could see what seemed to be going on through the windows. The Snork seemed to be frantically searching for something inside one of his many drawers, a look of panic and confusion on his face. Snorkmaiden was stood next to him, looking rather concerned. The thought of Snorkmaiden saddened him, however much the voice in his head told him to move on.

Suddenly the Snork looked out the window and a look of surprise came upon his face as he recognised Moomintroll outside. He seemed to gesture to Snorkmaiden to stay where she was before rushing out of the room frantically. Moomintroll immediately ducked down into the bushes the Snorks conveniently had surrounding their house, his heart beating against his chest faster and faster until he couldn’t bear it anymore and stood up straight. And there the Snork was, looking straight into his face. “Moomintroll! This is a surprise indeed! Come with me, I don’t want Snorkmaiden seeing you while she’s in this state.”

Moomintroll didn’t know what to say, so all he did was weakly nod in reply as he and the Snork started to walk into the forest.

Neither of the two spoke until they reached a thicket overrun with more trees than Moomintroll could count, each beginning to sprout new, soft green leaves. The Snork found a log to sit on, and gestured for Moomintroll to sit down next to him. As Moomintroll sat down, the Snork started to speak. “So, Moomintroll, why would you be wandering around the forest this early in the year? None of the flowers have bloomed yet.”

“At this time of year I usually wait for Snufkin to arrive, but I suppose a little walk can’t do any harm.”

“Ah, yes, Snufkin. Has he returned yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“Pity. Snorkmaiden talks about you two quite a bit.”

Moomintroll felt a little bit confused. _Why would Snorkmaiden talk about him and Snufkin?_ It wasn’t like they were anything more than best friends, and even if so he was sure he would have realised it. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“Well, Snorkmaiden wasn’t happy at all with the time you two always spent together. You might even say she was jealous of Snufkin.”

Moomintroll shook his head from side to side vigorously, exclaiming, “No way! Snufkin is my best friend, him and Snorkmaiden are different things to me!”

“I suppose so. You know, Snorkmaiden really doesn’t seem well at all. She eats less, sleeps less, barely talks too. It’s hard seeing her like this, being her brother. Did anything happen between the two of you between now and the last time we saw each other? She won’t tell me anything, and I’m quite concerned.”

Moomintroll once again felt guilt flood through him. He thought Snorkmaiden had gotten better after the winter, but now it seemed that it had gotten worse. “Well...” he began, unable to find the words to convey his thoughts. He was scared of what the Snork would say to him after revealing the truth.  _Would he be mad? Sad? Disappointed?_ “... Well, Snorkmaiden and I decided to go our separate ways after I told her I didn’t think our relationship wasn’t working out. I didn’t see her after that, but I’m sure that’s why she’s so unhappy.”

The Snork automatically turned pale.  _That was a bad sign,_ thought Moomintroll, watching the Snork change to all sorts of colours, from mauve to lavender to red to blue to black. He eventually settled on a periwinkle blue and said plainly, while readjusting his glasses, “I see. That explains a lot.” He paused for what seemed like an eternity to Moomintroll, before sighing and reluctantly saying: “Snorkmaiden has never been good with coping with emotions. Still, you did what you had to do, and I respect that. Frankly, I never thought that the relationship between you two would work, no offence to you or Snorkmaiden.”

Moomintroll could only sit there, deep in thought. After a few moments, he stood up from the log and said, “Thank you, Snork. It’s been nice talking to you. Tell Snorkmaiden I’m sorry. I’ve got to go, Snufkin doesn’t wait for anybody!”

“Goodbye, Moomintroll!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please moomin fandom I’m begging you for some more Snork content


	4. Knitting needles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moomintroll faces his problems, and after a talk with his mother, he realises something.

Moomintroll trudged slowly down the familiar path to the bridge. The Snork’s words resonated within his mind.  _ You know, Snorkmaiden really doesn’t seem well at all _ _. He couldn’t imagine Snorkmaiden in that state._ A good partner, no, a good _friend_ could never do that.  _ Oh, Snorkmaiden...  _ Thought Moomintroll sadly, as he slumped down onto the ledge yet again, pushing away the blanket Moominmamma had carefully placed on top of it.

The sun was at its peak, and Snufkin still hadn’t arrived. Moomintroll’s stomach began to growl after a while of waiting, so he decided to take a short break from waiting, and eat something with his family. _It couldn’t hurt to have a little bit to eat before going back, right?_

He walked up the steps to the verandah and opened the door. Instantly he heard a familiar voice saying, “Moomintroll! Welcome back.” It was none other than Moominmamma. She was sitting in a cozy armchair in the living room, knitting what looked like the first scarf of the year. She gestured for him to sit down opposite her, and Moomintroll obliged, sinking into the comfort of the armchair. The knitting needles held by Moominmamma clacked together comfortingly and rhythmically, and for a moment Moomintroll forgot all of his worries about Snorkmaiden.

“So dear,” began Moominmamma, “how has your waiting been?”

Moomintroll sank into his chair. “Not well, Mamma.”

“Oh dear. Has Snufkin not arrived yet?”

“How did you know, Mamma?”

Moominmamma just chuckled and said, “I have my ways.”

Moomintroll knew that of everyone he knew, Moominmamma would be the most understanding of his worries. She would listen to what you had to say without interruption and provide advice and support afterwards. She was the best mother figure Moomintroll could ask for.

“Mamma, how do I become friends with Snorkmaiden again?”

Moominmamma looked up from her knitting in disbelief. “I though you were already friends, perhaps even more than that.”

Moomintroll hung his head down and murmured, “We broke up before the winter.”

“Ah. That would explain why we didn’t see Snorkmaiden yesterday at lunch.”

Moomintroll felt himself sink further into the armchair.

“I talked to the Snork today.”

“And how was that?”

“It only made me feel worse about Snorkmaiden. Mamma, she hasn’t been eating and sleeping properly, and all because of me!”

“Oh dear, that’s quite the situation. The only thing I would recommend you to do is to wait for time to do its magic.”

Moomintroll sighed, glancing out of the window. “I do wish Snufkin would come back soon.”

“I know, dear.” Moominmamma’s knitting needles came to a start again.  _Click, clack. Click, clack._ Over and over and over again.

“Every year it’s so hard waiting for him to come back... I can’t sleep well, I don’t want to do anything at all... Oh Mamma, is there something wrong with me?”

“Of course not, dear.”

“Then why does it feel wrong?”

“Maybe you’re just like Snorkmaiden.”

A sudden rush of thought rushed through his head.  _Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. This isn’t true._ He didn’t have the same feelings for Snufkin as he did for Snorkmaiden. He didn’t feel heartbroken at all,  _right?_

_Click, clack. Click, clack. Stitch after stitch, row after row._

By this time the sun was beginning to set, and the sky had turned a lovely shade of gold. Usually, Snufkin would have arrived at this point, and he would be setting up his tent by the bridge. But Snufkin wasn’t there. And all Moomintroll could do about it was wait, and even that was hard enough for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moominmamma is the mother figure we all need in our lives
> 
> Also I know there are way too many rhetorical questions on this fic I’ll try to fix that soon

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy oh boy! I’ve never written a fanfiction in my life, so I’m very sorry if this is wonky or bad


End file.
